At Reifel Island:
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| "Supper coming! My fave! Yum!" |
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| "Hey, where'd it go?" |
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| "Life's not fair!" |
Time elapsed, elation to despair: 4 seconds.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Cruel disappointment
At Reifel Island:
Time elapsed, elation to despair: 4 seconds.
10 comments:
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From the bee's point of view? DANGER!! Whew....safety.
ReplyDeleteGREAT photos!!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Yes, it's all in the point of view, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteGreat shots! But it's the wasp that's looking for supper. Spiders are common targets for wasps, but this particular spider was on the wrong (ie. safe) side of the web. The spider's reaction of spreading its legs is defensive.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tim. I didn't know that. I've never seen a wasp attack a spider. Although, come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen a spider with a dead wasp, either.
ReplyDeleteIs there a right side and a wrong side to a web??? I must look into that.
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago I wrote a series of three blogs about Henrietta, the same kind of spider -- European Cross spider. At first I spent way too much time netting food for her. Then I realized she could nail yellow jackets. I hung stinky fish goo below her web to attract more yellow jackets and my hunting days were over. It worked like a charm.
Is there a right side and a wrong side to a web??? I must look into that.
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago I wrote a series of three blogs about Henrietta, the same kind of spider -- European Cross spider. At first I spent way too much time netting food for her. Then I realized she could nail yellow jackets. I hung stinky fish goo below her web to attract more yellow jackets and my hunting days were over. It worked like a charm.
That's interesting! Stinky fish goo! Rotting apples would work, too, I think.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the few cases in nature where either animal could be predator or prey. It depends whether the wasp knows there's a web. If she wanders in inadvertently, then she could get trapped. Which side is the wrong side depends on whether you're rooting for the spider or the wasp. Basically, if the web separates the spider from the wasp, the spider is safer than if the wasp were on the same side as the spider, where the wasp would have a pretty easy grasp of the back unprotected side of the spider. I've never witnessed the actual attack, but I have seen cross spiders carried in flight by wasps.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the larger wasps will be more bold than smaller ones...that is, yellow jackets are less likely to do so than the bald-faced hornets, which is what the photo seems to depict.
And now I remember I do have a photo somewhere of a dead yellow jacket in a spider's web. So this spider was possibly wise to get in attack/defense position rather than run away, which they do if I so much as touch the web.
ReplyDeleteAnd then, there are the wasps that feed their babies with spiders. I have a few photos that I'll post tonight.